Tag Archives: message Syria

We are probably going to start raining Cruise Missiles down on various Syrian targets. If we began this week, we’d be doing this without the informed consent of the American people—only 9% favor military action. We’d be doing this without the consent, or even discussion, of our Congress—the branch that has the constitutional power to declare war. But since they’ve pretty much surrendered that power since 1941, what the hell. We would be doing this without the express consent of the Arab League.

We’d be doing this without a resolution from NATO or the UN. We’d be doing this with the UN inspectors still on the ground and asking for more time. We’d be doing this because we are really, really sure that Assad has used chemical weapons, but we don’t have any proof—just our fierce certainty. We’re probably right about this, but still doesn’t this seem to resemble our fierce certainty before Iraq?

At least before Iraq we had some ambitions—mostly unrealistic, but ambitions none-the-less. Now we’re propelled by a doctrine not of regime change or deciding the outcome of this terrible civil war but merely of punishment. We’re going to kill people in order to demonstrate that chemicals are the wrong way to kill people. Our declared ambition is to dissuade Assad from further use of banned weapons.

This is only a little less than half true. Yes, we want to punish him and deter him from using chemical weapons, but the deeper reason is to try to staunch the hemorrhaging of our credibility and make the drawing of red lines mean something.

We’re using missiles to deliver a message that when we threaten consequences, there will be consequences. We’re trying to send a very strong message that we’re to be believed and feared. We’re not sending this message to Bashar al-Assad and Syria.

These missiles are aimed at Syria, but the message in the missiles is directed at Iran. We want them to understand our red line concerning their developing nuclear technology is to be believed. We might be trapped into having to bomb Damascus to threaten Tehran, but it probably won’t work.